Proteins have numerous functions, and many provide therapeutic benefits. Proteins act as hormones, antibodies, enzymes, receptor blockers, receptor agonists, growth factors, anti-cancer agents, lipid scavengers, anti-inflammatory compounds, stimulators of bone formation, vascular growth or blood clotting factors. Proteins possess numerous additional biological activities.
The manufacture of therapeutic proteins, is an expensive process. Solid phase synthesis is an expensive and slow process and is useful for small proteins and peptides. Larger proteins require isolation from a biological source, which can be expensive and fraught with purification issues. Many proteins are made through recombinant means. Companies using recombinant techniques to manufacture these proteins are working at capacity and usually have a long waiting list to access their fermentation facilities. A therapeutic course of these proteins can be so expensive that many individuals in need of such therapy cannot afford the therapy and do not receive it. What is needed, therefore, is a new, efficient, and economical approach to make desired proteins in vitro and in vivo.